He grinned reminiscently. "I did last time. I took the back trail under orders."
"Whose orders?" asked Ridley.
"Pete's, I reckon."
"If there's a story goes with that grin—" suggested Arthur.
"No story a-tall. I caught a fellow brandin' a calf below the cañon. He waved me around. Some curious to see who the guy was that didn't want to say 'How?' to me, I followed him into Box."
That seemed to be the end of the yarn. At any rate, Jack stopped.
"Well, did you find out who he was?"
"No, but I found this sign, an' above it a rifle slantin' down at me, an' back of the rifle a masked face. The fellow that owned the face advised me about my health."
"What about it?"
"Why, that this rough country wasn't suited to my disposition, temperament, an' general proclivities. So I p'inted back to where I had come from."